Though as they go, not sure it compares with either Shinji Kagawa becoming the first Asian player to score a hat-trick against Norwich at Old Trafford, or Cesar Azpilicueta being the only eight-vowelled player in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Has his best game in months, scores a really well taken goal, has the nuts to step up and take a penalty despite ... Well, you know. But fluffs it AND gets smashed in the face. Even when he wins, he loses a bit.

Been unequivocal about thinking Chelsea needed to go out of the Europa League to stop a domestic collapse, but it's too late for that now. Playing 27 games in just 3 days is gonna be tough going.

Felt bad for the 60-odd Anzhi fans that made it there, it didn't really seem like a sending off.

I can't remember Tiote doing one good thing. Just giving the ball away, getting caught in possession or blazing it over the bar.

Adam Campbell looks about 12 but he seems so comfortable on the ball and aware. He's also lightning fast. Too fast for some of his teammates to see his run and play it through to him before he's offside.

Seems there's a consensus that he's in great form. Seems there's a consensus that Johnny Evans is in good form. Seems there's a consensus that De Gea is rapidly becoming one of the league's best keepers. The mainstream press and average football fan is finally coming round to Carrick. And yet United are leaking more goals than they've done in most recent seasons, have conceded more shots (that have forced saves, so not just hopeful hoofs from 35 yards out) than either they usually do or the other 'big' sides have done this season and generally seem thought of as being very, very dangerous going forward but more vulnerable defensively than they have been in recent memory.

None of this quite adds up to me, but I don't watch United week-in, week-out. Interested to know what the people who do make of the above. Is the perception that United are easier to get at than, say, last season unfair? The stats seem to back that assertion. And if that assertion is fair, then why is that? How can that be reconciled with the notion that so many of the defensive players are in particularly good form?

I'm asking genuinely and out of interest. I'd appreciate it if you didn't senselessly rise to anything that anyone else may add to the discourse.

that David De Gea is the reason why United are top of the league. Whilst he's been mildly error-prone, his saves have stopped United losing games. Every time I've seen United, they'd have either lost or drawn had he not made a string of superb saves owing to the failures of a brittle midfield and a disorganised defence.

And yet he gets more stick than almost any other player in the league. Odd.

From what i gather, he makes two or three very good saves a game, but one blooper most games. People will always remember the blooper, it's not anything particularly anti-De Gea or any media or Bertie Conspiracy. It's up to him to eliminate those errors from his game. All keepers make them, but the truly standout ones historically make them a LOT less frequently than him. van der Sar might be a good example.

from what I've witnessed De Gea has earned far more points for United than he has dropped for them through error. As I said earlier, the midfield has been leaky and the defence slow and disorganised from what I've seen. He's spent far more time this season mopping up the errors of others than he has making his own. Again, from what I've seen.

I'm not even sure what it is he's supposedly so terrible at either. Positioning at corners is the weak spot of his game, sure, but... he's not even terrible at that.

People will always remember the blooper - true. But when it leads to an incorrect analysis of a player's value to a team that's not really on.

Either way - he's been the best 'keeper out of all of the top 6 this season. And, in my view, United are top of the league because of him and not in spite of him.

...from a perspective that he's often talked about as a gaffe-prone and bearded Spanish lunatic who hasn't got a clue what he's doing. And then when he has a brilliant game (see Real Madrid 1st Leg) his performance is often referred to in `OMG David De Gea was really good last night didn't see that comin LOL` terms.

I don't think he's better than, say, Van der Sar was in his last 2 seasons for United (he was quite astonishing considering his age), I just think he's quite clearly an excellent young goalkeeper who gets far more stick than the net impact of his performances deserve.

From what I've seen he has made some good saves (alot with his feet for some reason) but he seems to lack command of his box and this could trickle down to the rest of the team meaning they have less confidence in him.

But i think you're both overselling United's defensive woes - Rafael and Evra have both seemingly been amongst the best players in their positions this season, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evans all decent enough, then Carrick's allegedly been superb infront of them; and overstating de Gea's contribution a bit - i'd say; big saves in big games, but generally wobbly, and wouldn't say he's been hugely better but definitely better as i said earlier in the week, than Cech, Lloris or Hart (domestically at least with the latter, by the sounds of it Hart was pretty bad in Europe, but the league stats speak for themselves).

As for his specific weaknesses, well, i think he's the Theo Walcott of goalkeeping - often brilliant when he has to make impulsive, split-second decisions, but sometimes appalling when given too much thinking time. Makes outstanding reaction saves, but often doesn't get strong hands to weaker low shots, gets intimidated physically on set-pieces, and isn't a great communicator, probably because of a mixture of his age and the language barrier.

person...wahhheyyy. I can't figure this team out. They seem to make it hard on themselves far too often. 2 - nil up at half time against Chelsea and yet I was feeling that you'd pull it back. Defensively, the midfield can leave the defenders far too exposed. Carrick is great but can get rattled. Vidic has certainly helped since his return. United has had something like 4/5 clean sheets on the trot in the league. Yet as you say we still have the capacity to leak goals and that's with Evra rediscovering his form and Rafael looking like possibly the best right back in league.

I don't know what I'm even arguing here. Seems to me that this United side are very very good but flawed in the sense that they seem to do just do enough.

Love De Gea by the way and I think you'd find that most United fans feel the same. Receives a ridiculous amount of cristicism for someone who is quite obviously a quality goalkeeper.

However, Id go for Brentford. Quality away terrace there (make sure you go bottom deck). Pub on each corner (though Ive heard one has closed down, not sure about that). One of my favourite grounds is Griffin Park.

it was three days ago, you missed it. We lost 1-0. Probably better off going to Brentford, who are actually playing Preston at the weekend. Good side, great ground - pub in every corner. Leyton Orient was guff, one of the worst away ends I've ever been in.

Basically, a 50-minute behind-the-scenes film detailing Leyton Orient's 94/95 relegation season. Their chairman faces near-bankruptcy after his coffee business in Rwanda collapses during the civil war there, so he has to look to sell the club and make big cutbacks. The club are managed by a guy called John Sitton; sort of a Martin Allen character, and former Man United goalie Chris Turner, who would later relegate Sheffield Wednesday, Stockport County, and i think Hartlepool.

It's great stuff. Sitton's a nutcase and there are some brilliant half-time rants. Turner's the good cop, a meek character but with the voice of Roy Chubby Brown. The team are fucking hopeless.

was talking about his book out in the summer and inferred there'll be some not-great comments about Bates. I don't hate him nearly as much as most Leeds fans, but then I've not had to experience some of the recent snoozefests at Elland Road.

From his tone it's apparently unlikely he sees himself at Leeds next season - in all likelyhood it's a bit of a shame his last job hasn't worked out. I think/hope the first sign of our promotion push being totally over, he'll walk, so we can get a new manager in to lift the crowd a bit in the final meaningless weeks, and also get a feel for the squad and changes well in advance of the summer.

Our new owners have reduced season tickets and made student/youth prices. They're making all the right moves away from the pitch, so if they can hold firm on Byram, get a good manager - Adkins - and invest just a bit, I'll be very impressed with them.

Just hope the Spanish teams avoid eachother, as i really can't be arsed with another El Clasico, and either Barca or Real would see off Malaga over two legs, though both have lost to them in recent months, i think.

Think it's pretty inevitable that Spurs will get Chelsea given they play eachother in the league around that time as well. Those things tend to happen quite a bit.

Spurs v Basel is pretty much the gentlest draw they could have had, at home first too! Oh well, at least it'll mean more games for them, hopefully pick up enough bookings and injuries to really stretch the squad.

Actually think this might be the toughest call of all the positions given the limited standout performers in most others. There are just quite a few decent left-backs about.

This year, from what i've seen, Jose Enrique's improved, especially going forward, Evra's got somewhere back to good form after two horrible years, Clichy's been quite good but hasn't hit the heights of last season when for me he was probably the best left-back in the division. Ben Davies has done well in place of Neil Taylor, Danny Rose started the season very brightly but plays for a bunch of puddings. Luke Shaw's looked promising, though more in midfield.

He seems to have been a bit sexy in a Baines sort of way assist-wise from defence. That Suarez goal against Newcastle springs to mind, and have seem him link up well with Suarez from defence on other occasions. Did have a decent run in midfield, though, yeah, and can't vouch for whether he's remembered to defend or not.

Think he's got all the attributes to be a top left-back, though, thought he was the best in the league at one point just before he moved to Anfield...but then i've seen him get merked by Jamie Mackie and Chris Eagles, so idk.

The one thing he’s done to upset me is leave my club ungraciously. Now that wound has pretty much healed (thanks to Suarez’ arrival and Torres not scoring against us yet), there’s really no reason to hate the guy. On the pitch, he’s not a dirty, niggly little shit like our current number 7. He doesn’t dive a lot, or whinge overly to refs.

Outside of the game, he’s pretty much anonymous. He’s like the anti-Rio. I thought about this when he kicked him the other day. One has a past involving drugs, shit prank programmes, takes self-taken photographs of himself with rappers and uploads them to his Twitter account, where he has his own embarrassing hashtags. One has been in a shitty Spanish music video when he was too young to know better.

I admit that if he bags at Anfield and celebrates into the Kop or something, I might regress completely. But I don’t think he’d do that. In summary, although he’s a broken footballer, there’s no reason to have any hatred against him.

Premium phone numbers off teletext to find out ITK club news before internet was popular. When it was apparently really juicy transfer info you'd get flashing text on the page, something like "BIG STRIKER MOVE CONFIRMED" so you'd ring up, have to wait through about four minutes of some idiot talking waffle then they'd tell you that Chris Greenacre had gone to Mansfield on loan. Great times.

Disappointed for Juve, was looking forward to an Italian revival this year (it has already been one of sorts) but Bayern is a difficult draw. Not writing an obituary yet, and it will be tight as people have suggested, but I think A full strength Bayern would be confident of shutting Juve out. Hope Lazio are too strong for Fenerbahce now (haven't seen enough of either side)

Both Spanish giants arguably given two of the easier draws...but then equally you could say they had difficult ties in the last round...so swings and roundabouts. And I guess most people would have Dortmund favourites for the last semi final place (making a fantastic line-up). Can't tell if the Dortmund side may dissipate over the next few years so would be nice to see them go far. By contrast, Juve will probably be their or theirs abouts for the foreseeable future.

Worked very hard every game, couldn't have asked any more of him. He has this hang over reputation issue but he's never put a foot wrong for us on the pitch, played out of position frequently with barely a murmur, put a lot of work into defending too.

If he could string together a full season uninjured he'd be comfortably one of the best players in the league, Pardew has many problems but he seems to man manage players very well, and Ben Arfa has refered to him as a father figure at times. Cabaye has arguably been more inconsistent for us, he has had periods where he's been a bit invisible, but since coming back from last injury he's been imperious and very worried we'll lose him, on other hand seemed grounded guy, just bought his best mate, now essentially our captain, hopefully keep him for another season at least.

Having said that he's certainly what a lot of teams need, all round midfielder, fire in his belly and creative.